Magnum Research Baby Desert Eagle Fast Action

Description

The Magnum Research Baby Desert Eagle Fast Action is a semi-automatic large-frame pistol chambered for 9mm and .40 S&W. The Baby Desert Eagle doesn’t share any features with the Desert Eagle. Rather it’s its own pistol. It has a single-action and “fast-action” trigger.

Other features include a polymer frame that lightweight putting it at around 1.5 pounds. The barrel is hammer forged, so it was cooled then rifled by a machine in turn it will be more resistant to wear. The back straps can be changed for comfort or ease-of-use. It has a three-dot sight, however, the rear sight is adjustable and the front sight is interchangeable. And, it has a Picatinny rail for mounting lights or lasers.

Editor Review

The Fast Action: What the hell is fast action?

Magnum Research is well known for their high-power .50 caliber handguns, but not really for anything mundane and user-friendly – that is, until now. But let’s not forget about their polymer-framed 9mm Luger pistol they call the Baby Desert Eagle “Fast Action,” which is also offered in a .40 caliber.

It is called the Fast Action because it has a very, umm, unique trigger mechanism. The pistol is a run-of-the-mill striker design, but there are trigger options which set the gun apart from the herd. When a round is chambered, the striker is cocked, as normal. Shot number one can be fired with a long, smooth stroke. Subsequent rounds are fired in single-action mode.

However, the decocker can be depressed which moves the striker a tad forward, creating a double-action environment. Like all double-action pulls, the trigger is much heavier when the gun is in this mode. If you ask me, this seems like a whole lot of trouble simply to create another double or single-action 9mm like the CZ 75 which is a more traditional design. One thing is for sure, though: it’s different and it may just catch on.

The gun, like all polymer-framed weapons, is pretty light at 24.8 ounces, and so it would be a pretty logical choice for concealed carry or constant holster carry. The slide is constructed of steel with a black-oxide finish and it has a tactical rail for adding those flashlights onto home-protection pieces. The gun’s appearance is very reminiscent of polymer-framed Glocks, a style that many pistol enthusiasts have come to love.

The gun comes from the factory with three interchangeable front sights that can be chosen based on the load the gun is firing, which I thought was really cool, although the practicality of it is somewhat questioned. I have a feeling most people just want an accurate gun that shoots well without having to mess with it a whole lot. Don’t get me wrong, I like to tinker with stuff, but I’m not so sure that I want to be changing my sights every time I try a different grain or brand of bullet.

The rest of the gun is pretty standard with three-dot sights, interchangeable palm swells, oversized trigger guard (for shooting with gloves on) and a ten-round magazine, with an optional fifteen-rounder available. I think it’s priced somewhat competitively at $500, and I’m very interested to how the general public reacts to the Fast Action trigger aspect of the pistol.